Federated  mobile messaging appliance

ABSTRACT

A federated mobile messaging appliance can be provided. The appliance can include a hidden partition including different images of a mobile messaging system each corresponding to a particular e-mail server type. The appliance also can include federated mobile messaging configuration logic. The logic can include program code enabled to identify an e-mail server type for a coupled e-mail server, to select one of the images to be revealed based upon the identified e-mail server type, and to configure and activate a corresponding mobile messaging system in the selected one of the images in the hidden partition for interoperation with the coupled e-mail server.

REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS FOR PATENT

The present application is related to the following co-assigned U.S.patent applications, which are expressly incorporated by referenceherein:

U.S. application Ser. No. ______, entitled “SUBSCRIBER AUDIT FEATURE FORMOBILE MESSAGING” (docket no 7339-013U)), filed on May 30, 2008.

U.S. application Ser. No. ______, entitled “BACKUP AND RESTORE FEATUREFOR MOBILE MESSAGING” (docket no 7339-014U)), filed on May 30, 2008.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of mobile messaging and moreparticularly to installing a mobile messaging system for deliveringmessages over the air to mobile messaging clients.

2. Description of the Related Art

Electronic messaging represents the single most useful task accomplishedover wide-scale computer communications networks. Some argue that in theabsence of electronic messaging, the Internet would have amounted tolittle more than a science experiment. Today, electronic messaging seemsto have replaced the ubiquitous telephone and fax machine for the mostroutine of interpersonal communications. As such, a variety ofelectronic messaging systems have arisen which range from real-timeinstant messaging systems and wireless text pagers to asynchronouselectronic mail systems.

Electronic mail, a form of electronic messaging referred to in the artas e-mail, has proven to be the most widely used computing applicationglobally. Though e-mail has been a commercial staple for severaldecades, due to the explosive popularity and global connectivity of theInternet, e-mail has become the preferred mode of communications,regardless of the geographic separation of communicating parties. Today,more e-mails are processed in a single hour than phone calls. Clearly,e-mail as a mode of communications has been postured to replace allother modes of communications, save for voice telephony.

E-mail has become so significant in the daily conduct of business thatenterprise users no longer can tolerate e-mail access exclusively fromwithin the enterprise. Rather, end users demand access even from remotelocations, while traveling or at home. So reliant, in fact, end usershave become upon e-mail, that end users no longer demonstrate thepatience to access e-mail from traditional computing devices. Rather,e-mail users in the enterprise now demand access to e-mail 24/7/365 overwireless mobile communications devices like cellular telephones andpersonal digital assistants. Extreme compulsions to check e-mailconstantly in a wireless device now have been diagnosed as a form of anobsessive-compulsive disorder.

Addressing the demand for wireless access to e-mail, traditionalwireless carriers support both pull and push oriented e-mail messagingto wireless devices. One particularly successful mobile messagingtechnology—the Blackberry™ wireless messaging technology—provides overthe air, push based messaging to a sophisticated end user wirelessdevice, known as in the marketplace as the “Blackberry”. Alternatives tothe Blackberry™ technology include the Good Technology messaging serverand more recently, the Lotus Traveler™ service. In each of these mobilemessaging technologies, a mobile messaging server is configured withinthe enterprise to cooperate with an e-mail server to deliver e-mailmessages to subscribing wireless devices.

Generally, the mobile messaging server monitors the e-mail inbox in thee-mail server for each subscriber and upon detecting an inbound e-mailmessage, the mobile messaging server routes a copy to a correspondingwireless device over a wireless communications network. Conversely,e-mail messages composed within the wireless device of a subscriber arerouted to the mobile messaging server which can place a copy within thee-mail server in the sent items folder for the subscriber. In this way,the subscriber maintains full access to e-mail (and even calendaring andcontact information) irrespective of the location of the subscriber.

As it will be apparent, properly configuring the mobile messaging serveris paramount to the successful performance of a mobile messaging system.Configuring a mobile messaging server for interoperation in theenterprise, however, is no small feat and requires substantialexpertise. Configuration issues to be considered include the type ofe-mail server, the network topology in which the mobile messaging serveris to be deployed and components with whom the mobile messaging serveris to interact, the number of subscribers to the mobile messagingservice and the types of wireless devices used by the subscribers. Socomplicated has the configuration process become, that only the mostsophisticated and well-funded organization can afford to deploy a mobilemessaging service.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art inrespect to mobile messaging server configuration and deployment andprovide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer programproduct for the federated configuration and deployment of a mobilemessaging system. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for thefederated configuration and deployment of a mobile messaging system canbe provided for a federated mobile messaging appliance. The method caninclude locating an e-mail server in a network and identifying an e-mailserver type for the located e-mail server.

The method also can include selecting an image from a hidden partitionin the appliance amongst multiple images within the hidden partition inthe appliance. Specifically, the hidden partition can store multipleimages of a mobile messaging system each corresponding to a particulare-mail server type. Finally, the method can include configuring andactivating the selected image of the mobile messaging system in thehidden partition.

In one aspect of the embodiment, selecting an image from the hiddenpartition in the appliance amongst multiple images within the hiddenpartition in the appliance can include selecting an image amongstmultiple images within the hidden partition in the appliance wherein thehidden partition has stored thereon multiple images of a mobilemessaging system each corresponding to the identified e-mail server typeand also an identified e-mail server version. In another aspect of theembodiment, configuring the image of the mobile messaging system caninclude establishing mobile messaging system rules for the selectedimage of the mobile messaging system. Finally, in yet another aspect ofthe embodiment, configuring the image of the mobile messaging systemalso can include rendering a Security Technical Implementation Guide(STIG) checklist to ensure sufficient hardening of the mobile messagingsystem to comply with STIG configuration standards.

In another embodiment of the invention, a federated mobile messagingappliance can be provided. The appliance can include multiple images ofa mobile messaging system stored within a hidden partition. Each imageof the mobile messaging system can correspond to a particular e-mailserver type. The appliance also can include federated mobile messagingconfiguration logic. The logic can include program code enabled toidentify an e-mail server type for a coupled e-mail server, to selectone of the images in the hidden partition to be activated based upon theidentified e-mail server type, and to configure and activate thecorresponding mobile messaging system in the selected one of the imagesin the hidden partition for interoperation with the coupled e-mailserver.

Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspectsof the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elementsand combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It isto be understood that both the foregoing general description and thefollowing detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only andare not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute partof this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred,it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a mobile messaging systemconfigured with a federated mobile messaging appliance;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a process for the federatedconfiguration and deployment of a mobile messaging system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system andcomputer program product for the federated configuration and deploymentof a mobile messaging system. In accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention, a mobile messaging appliance can be configured with ahidden partition in fixed storage storing different, pre-configuredimages of a mobile messaging server, each image corresponding to adifferent type of e-mail server. During deployment, the type of e-mailserver intended to interoperate with the mobile messaging server can bedetermined. Thereafter, only the pre-configured image of the mobilemessaging corresponding to the detected type of e-mail server can beinstalled while remaining ones of the pre-configured images can remaindormant in the hidden partition or can be removed from the appliance.Once installed, the pre-configured image corresponding to the detectedtype of e-mail server can be deployed to interoperate with the detectede-mail server to provide a mobile messaging service to subscribers.

In more particular illustration, FIG. 1 schematically shows a mobilemessaging system configured with a federated mobile messaging appliance.The system can include a mail server 110 configured for communicativecoupling through optional firewall 120 over computer communicationsnetwork 160 to different e-mail clients 100 each hosted in acorresponding host computing device 190. The system also can include afederated mobile messaging appliance 150. The federated mobile messagingappliance 150 can include one or more hidden partitions 130 in fixedstorage. The hidden partition 130 can include different images 140A,140B, 140N of a mobile messaging system each corresponding to adifferent type of e-mail server. The appliance 150 also can includefederated mobile messaging configuration and deployment logic 200.

The federated mobile messaging configuration and deployment logic 200can include program code enabled to determine any combination of ane-mail server type, version or service level for the e-mail server 110.The program code also can be enabled to activate a given one of theimages 140A, 140B, 140N of a mobile messaging system intended for usewith the determined e-mail server type and version for the e-mail server110, while the remaining ones of the partitions 130 can remain hiddenfrom view. The program code yet further can be enabled to configure thecorresponding one of the images 140A, 140B, 140N of the mobile messagingsystem for operation and to deploy the corresponding one of the images140A, 140B, 140N of the mobile messaging system to deliver e-mailmessages to wireless devices 180 over wireless network 170. Inparticular, a script of registry settings can be retrieved for thecorresponding one of the images 140A, 140B, 140N and the registrysettings can be applied to any of the e-mail server 110, the underlyingoperating system and the corresponding one of the images 140A, 140B,140N.

In further illustration of the operation of the federated mobilemessaging configuration logic 200, FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating aprocess for the federated configuration and deployment of a mobilemessaging system. The process can begin in block 210 with thecommunicative connection of the appliance into a network coupled to ane-mail server. In block 220, the e-mail server in the network can belocated and in block 230, a version and type of the e-mail server can bedetermined by way of an call to an exposed method in an applicationprogramming interface (API) to the e-mail server.

In block 240, an image of the mobile messaging system residing in ahidden partition in the appliance and associated with the e-mail servertype and version can be selected. Thereafter, in block 250 the selectedimage can be activated (while other images in the hidden partition inthe appliance can remain dormant). Once an image has been selected andactivated, in block 260 the selected image of the mobile messagingsystem can be configured for deployment in the network. For example, inblock 260A one or more mobile messaging system rules can be establishedsuch as the way in which the mobile messaging system provides wirelessdelivery of a message received in the e-mail server. Additionally, inblock 260B, a STIG checklist can be rendered to ensure the sufficienthardening of the mobile messaging system to comply with STIGconfiguration standards. Finally, in block 270, once configured themobile messaging system can be launched for operation in conjunctionwith the e-mail server.

Embodiments of the invention can take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containingboth hardware and software elements. In a preferred embodiment, theinvention is implemented in software, which includes but is not limitedto firmware, resident software, microcode, and the like. Furthermore,the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessiblefrom a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing programcode for use by or in connection with a computer or any instructionexecution system.

For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computerreadable medium can be any apparatus that can contain, store,communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or apropagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable medium include asemiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computerdiskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), arigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of opticaldisks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compactdisk-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing programcode will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectlyto memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can includelocal memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulkstorage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at leastsome program code in order to reduce the number of times code must beretrieved from bulk storage during execution. Input/output or I/Odevices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointingdevices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or throughintervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also be coupled to thesystem to enable the data processing system to become coupled to otherdata processing systems or remote printers or storage devices throughintervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernetcards are just a few of the currently available types of networkadapters.

1. In a federated mobile messaging appliance, a method for the federatedconfiguration and deployment of a mobile messaging system, the methodcomprising: locating an e-mail server in a network and identifying ane-mail server type for the located e-mail server; selecting an image ofa mobile messaging system amongst other images of the mobile messagingsystem within a hidden partition in the appliance, each of the images ofthe mobile messaging system corresponding to a particular e-mail servertype, the selected image corresponding to the identified e-mail servertype; and, configuring and activating the image of the mobile messagingsystem in the hidden partition while continuing to hide the other imagespartitions in the hidden partition.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein animage of a mobile messaging system amongst other images of the mobilemessaging system within a hidden partition in the appliance, comprisesselecting an image of a mobile messaging system amongst other images ofthe mobile messaging system within a hidden partition in the appliance,each of the images of the mobile messaging system corresponding to aparticular e-mail server type, the selected image corresponding to theidentified e-mail server type and also an identified e-mail serverversion.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the image of themobile messaging system, comprises establishing mobile messaging systemrules for the image of the mobile messaging system.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein configuring the image of the mobile messaging system,further comprises rendering a Security Technical Implementation Guide(STIG) checklist to ensure sufficient hardening of the mobile messagingsystem to comply with STIG configuration standards.
 5. A federatedmobile messaging appliance comprising: a hidden partition comprising aplurality of images of a mobile messaging system each of the imagescorresponding to a particular e-mail server type; and, federated mobilemessaging configuration logic comprising program code enabled toidentify an e-mail server type for a coupled e-mail server, to selectone of the images in the hidden partition to be revealed based upon theidentified e-mail server type, and to configure and activate acorresponding mobile messaging system in the selected one of the imagesfor interoperation with the coupled e-mail server.
 6. The appliance ofclaim 5, further comprising a Security Technical Implementation Guide(STIG) checklist stored in the appliance for rendering duringconfiguration of the corresponding mobile messaging system to ensuresufficient hardening of the corresponding mobile messaging system tocomply with STIG configuration standards.
 7. A computer program productcomprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable programcode for the federated configuration and deployment of a mobilemessaging system in an appliance, the computer program productcomprising: computer usable program code for locating an e-mail serverin a network and identifying an e-mail server type for the locatede-mail server; computer usable program code for selecting an image of amobile messaging system amongst other images of the mobile messagingsystem within a hidden partition in the appliance, each of the images ofthe mobile messaging system corresponding to a particular e-mail servertype, the selected image corresponding to the identified e-mail servertype; and, computer usable program code for configuring and activatingthe image of the mobile messaging system in the hidden partition whilecontinuing to hide the other images partitions in the hidden partition.8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer usableprogram code for selecting an image of a mobile messaging system amongstother images of the mobile messaging system within a hidden partition inthe appliance, comprises computer usable program code for selecting animage of a mobile messaging system amongst other images of the mobilemessaging system within a hidden partition in the appliance, each of theimages of the mobile messaging system corresponding to a particulare-mail server type, the selected image corresponding to the identifiede-mail server type and also an identified e-mail server version.
 9. Thecomputer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer usable programcode for configuring the image of the mobile messaging system, comprisescomputer usable program code for establishing mobile messaging systemrules for the image of the mobile messaging system.
 10. The computerprogram product of claim 9, wherein the computer usable program code forconfiguring the image of the mobile messaging system, further comprisescomputer usable program code for rendering a Security TechnicalImplementation Guide (STIG) checklist to ensure sufficient hardening ofthe mobile messaging system to comply with STIG configuration standards.